


just breathe your need to me

by gayreyna



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Camp Jupiter (Percy Jackson), F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:14:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25844884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayreyna/pseuds/gayreyna
Summary: war games are no joke. piper offers comfort. they've been playing the "are-we-aren't-we" game for a while.
Relationships: Piper McLean/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano
Comments: 6
Kudos: 62





	just breathe your need to me

**Author's Note:**

> i started writing this like, four years ago and decided to edit the hell out of it and post it lmao. hope y'all like pipeyna too

it's been a rough day for reyna.

between praetor duties and an afternoon spent out in the field of mars, she's exhausted, so when she spots the stack of papers on her desk she still needs to sort through, she lets out an audible groan. she's sore and she's tired. going through paper after paper for the next few hours is the last thing she wants to do. 

the sound of footsteps in the principia this late at night usually puts her on edge, but reyna finds the noise all too familiar now and knows exactly who to expect when she turns around. that's _not_ to say she's been anticipating her arrival, hoping she would stop by— that would just be ridiculous.

but they've been playing this game for a while now and reyna wonders how and when it will end. her relationship status always seems to fall under _it's complicated_ , but with piper it's somehow even more complex. it has little to do with the fact that piper had broken up with jason abruptly and moved across the country a few weeks ago, just in time to start school in new rome. no, reyna understands that. she understands not wanting to entertain things that aren't real.

what reyna doesn't get is what she's supposed to do with the hours they've spent together since then; meal times together, walks around new rome, evenings alone in the praetor office long after the scheduled hours have finished. some of them talking about jason, but most of them passing by without so much as mentioning his name. she doesn't know what she's supposed to do with all the times she's caught piper staring, or all the time she's caught herself staring back. the push and pull, the subtle jokes and hints that aren't that subtle anymore. the way piper laughs but not in a mean way when reyna tries her own innuendos, even though they sound clunky and awkward coming from her mouth. the way her stomach front-flips when piper smiles at her, how she always feels lighter with her around. how when it's just the two of them, praetor and soldier fall away so only reyna remains. what is she supposed to do with that?

the praetor says nothing as piper helps her out of her armor, first removing the shoulder plates, then the breastplate, working her way down until reyna insists that she can do it herself. reyna places the last piece of imperial gold metal on the table and sits down before removing her sweaty tank top. piper's face falls as her eyes catch sight of the ugly constellation of bruises on reyna's back. purple marks so dark they're almost black that stretch across her shoulders, hardly hidden behind the band of a red SPQR sports bra.

" i thought you only reffed. " the daughter of aphrodite says, brow furrowed with worry. she knows life at camp jupiter is harsher than it is at camp half-blood, more callous. but this just seems cruel.

" accidents happen, piper. " dismissive of her own injuries, as always. there were more important things to tend to, such as a nice, hot shower before tackling that damned paperwork. " i will mend. " reyna adds, though the way she says it through gritted teeth pretty much defeats its intentions.

there's a tense moment between them, mostly brought on by reyna's irritability, but piper takes the chance and places a hand on reyna's bare shoulder. 

" take a seat, praetor. " piper quips as she pulls reyna down gently. to her surprise she's met with little resistance, no charmspeak necessary. 

piper’s calloused fingertips ghost over the battlefield that's become of reyna’s shoulder blades, delicate and deliberate and _so_ very careful in her movements. reyna winces at the contact and is glad for the distraction of ambrosia set in her hands. the familiar taste of her sister's chicken asopao sends a comforting warmth through her body, though it does little else to ease the pain in her back. she quickly sets it back down when she feels her face growing hot, unsure if she's about to spontaneously combust from the godly food or because of piper's fingertips on her neck.

she wants to ask piper why she's doing this, why she's been doing any of this. why she spends hours in the office with reyna, even if she doesn't say anything, even if all she does is her homework while reyna tackles the endless supply of senate proposals and fortress designs and purchase requisitions. she wants to ask piper why she finds herself doing things she usually would never do, like laughing out loud, like letting piper into her home. she wants to ask why getting to know piper feels more exciting than any quest, why spending time with her seems to soften reyna's edges. she wants to ask piper if she noticed how easily she had crept through the spaces of reyna's rib cage and settled herself into the hollow of her chest, like she always belonged there. mostly, reyna wants to ask piper what all this means.

reyna can't see what piper is doing, body too stiff to try to turn her head, but she hears the fumbling of a glass bottle. sweet smelling perfume hits her nose as piper spreads a salve over her ruined skin. a finger traces an old scar, deep and discolored as it curls under reyna's left shoulder blade, before continuing to rub the balm over fresh wounds. piper is tempted to ask what it's from. knowing reyna, it could be from anything— from camp or quests or fractures of her past that piper isn't sure she's ready to walk into, so she doesn't say anything.

" you should really be more careful. " piper scolds into reyna’s ear before brushing her mouth over the other girl’s temple. there's no venom in her voice, but reyna stays silent and rolls her eyes anyway.

" good thing you always come prepared. " she finally says, after her heart manages to dislodge from her throat. there's a buzzing in her ear, body seeming to vibrate under piper's breath. reyna is panicking because she doesn't want to read the situation wrong, worries she's finding meaning in something that's just meant to be a kind gesture. she desperately wants to berate herself, for letting the strong, stoic praetor of new rome be reduced to a speechless mess of gay panic, but with piper so close she doesn't even have the brain capacity to do that.

" let's just say i've got killer intuition. " and piper kisses her temple again. reyna can't help the smile pulling at her lips if she tried, nose crinkling as piper plants another kiss to her cheek. there's no way she can misread that.

reyna opens her eyes to meet piper's and when she smiles, a golden gleam appears in ever-changing irises, brightening her face and elevating her beauty in a way that makes it impossible for reyna to look away. and then they fade back into that rich, dark brown color, drawing reyna in because eyes like that are like a respite from the world.

that's the funny thing about piper; the way she wears her hair choppy, clothes always loose and muted, and reyna is almost positive she's never so much as held a tube of lip gloss voluntarily. it all points to one obviously drawn conclusion— she never wanted the attention, to stand out. she's like reyna in that way. reyna didn't like the attention either, but she couldn't blend in if she tried. she had risen to the top, placed on camp jupiter's highest pedestal and there, she had nowhere to hide.

and same as reyna, none of piper's efforts are effective. there's no way to conceal her beauty, prevent stares like the one reyna is wearing now as she gorges herself on piper's appearance like someone starved of such a thing. reyna has always found piper to be a pretty girl and paired with her tomboyish charm, well, reyna never stood a chance. but now, it's like seeing her in a new light.

reyna releases a surprised whimper into the other girl’s mouth when piper kisses her. for a moment, she fears that her inexperience will be obvious- but piper is patient and playful and guides reyna with ease. hands fidget with the end of her braid, taking it out so fingers can comb through reyna's dark tangled hair. and somewhere in the rational part of reyna's brain, she is screaming about how wildly inappropriate it is to be making out in one of the high-backed praetor's chairs. the other part, the part more concerned with the pretty girl in her lap, just simply doesn't care.

**Author's Note:**

> i have no idea how to write endings but reyna is a lesbian thanks for reading


End file.
